The highly awaited T20I World Cup 2024 is just hour away from its start as fans across the world get ready to witness exciting showdowns during the course of next one month. The tournament will be kicked off by the oldest rivals in international cricket. Yes, United States and Canada played the first international cricket match in the history  of cricket in 1844. Old sentiments will be unfolded when both teams face off in the opening match of the T20I World Cup (2024) on Saturday at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas (June 2, 6:00 AM IST). This match is particularly significant as it marks the debut for both teams in this prestigious tournament. 

Canada qualified for the T20I World Cup after topping the American Qualifier, while USA qualified on the back of being the co-hosts. Looking at USA, they have been on an upward trajectory, fueled by a diverse and talented pool of players. They recently shocked Bangladesh to win the three-match T20I series 2-1. They would look to build on that momentum to get off to a blistering start. Before their win against Bangladesh, they also beat Canada 4-0. Monank Patel will be leading the side. 

Canada, who have already made their presence at the ODI World Cup, will hope to get the outcome in their favour when they face USA in the opening game of T20I World Cup. Canada have a balanced squad. Notable players include Aaron Johnson, a consistent performer with the bat, and Saad Bin Zafar, whose all-round capabilities make him a crucial asset to the team. Aaron Johnson has scored two centuries in 16 games, while Saad Bin Zafar is the only player to have bowled four maidens in T20Is. 

Head to Head 

Matches - 7

USA Won - 5

Canada Won - 2

United States of America probable XI : Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (c&wk), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jasdeep Singh, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar

Canada probable XI : Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Rayyan Pathan, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Shreyas Movva (wk), Saad Bin Zafar (c), Nikhil Dutta, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Kaleem Sana